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Savannah is a city located in (and the county seat of) Chatham County, Georgia (USA). The city's population was 128,500 in 2005, according to the most recent U.S. Census estimate. Before 1970, Savannah was the second-largest city in Georgia. Today it is ranked fourth in population. The Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area, defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, has a population of 313,883 (2005 estimate), and includes three Georgia counties: Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham. Savannah's metropolitan population is ranked third among Georgia cities. Savannah is located at latitude 32°03'03" North, longitude 81°06'14" West. Savannah was the first colonial and state capital of Georgia. It is also the primary port on the Savannah River and is located along the U.S. Intracoastal Waterway. Savannah's architecture and history are internationally known, as is its reputation for Southern charm and hospitality (the city's old promotional name was "Hostess City of the South"). Each year, Savannah attracts millions of visitors from across the country and around the world. Savannah houses the nation's most valuable living collection of 18th and 19th century architecture. Founded by General James Oglethorpe in 1733, Georgia's colonial capital now encompasses six Historic Neighborhoods and each Spring Savannahians open their doors to visitors during the Savannah Tour of Homes and Gardens. Savannah's downtown area is the largest National Historic Landmark District in the United States. Savannah is also noted for its St. Patrick's Day celebration, the second largest in the United States behind New York City. Savannah is served by Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport, near Interstate 95. The city is the home of four colleges and universities offering bachelor's, master's and professional doctorate degree programs: Savannah College of Art and Design, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah State University, and South University. Bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. programs in engineering are offered through the Savannah campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. In addition, South University offers doctorate degrees of pharmacy. As of 2006, the mayor of Savannah is Otis Johnson. Residents of Savannah are known as Savannahians. History
The Yamacraws, a Native American tribe, were the first known people to settle in and around Savannah. In the 18th century AD under their leader Tomochici, they met the newly arriving European settlers. In November 1732, the ship Anne sailed from Britain carrying 114 colonists, including General James Oglethorpe. On February 12, 1733, Oglethorpe and his settlers landed at Yamacraw Bluff and, in an example of some of the earliest "Southern hospitality", were greeted by Tomochici, the Yamacraws, and John and Mary Musgrove, Indian traders. (Mary Musgrove often served as a translator.) The city of Savannah was founded on that date, along with the colony of Georgia. Because of the friendship between Oglethorpe and Tomochici, Savannah was able to flourish unhindered by the warfare that marked the beginnings of many early American colonies. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary (with etymologies), the name "Savannah" means "Shawnee"; it derives from a Muskoghean Indian word—a variant of Sawanoki, the native name of the Shawnees. Georgia colonists adopted this name for the Savannah River and then for the city.
In midsummer 1733, five months after the English colonists, Sephardi Jews from Spain and Portugal arrived in Savannah. Over the next century and a half the city welcomed other non-English and non-Protestant immigrants: Irish Catholics, French Catholics and Huguenots, Greek Orthodox, and others. Savannah remains to this day one of the most cosmopolitan and diverse cities in the South. In 1740, George Whitefield founded the Bethesda Orphanage, which is now the oldest extant orphanage in the United States. During the American Revolutionary War, Savannah came under British and Loyalist control in 1778. At the Siege of Savannah in 1779, American and French troops (the latter including a company of free blacks from Haiti) fought unsuccessfully to retake the city. On January 27, 1785, members of the State Assembly gathered in Savannah to found the nation's first state-chartered, public university—the University of Georgia (in Athens). In 1818 shipping and business stopped when the city fell under quarantine due to a yellow fever epidemic. Many ships never came back to Savannah, dealing a harsh blow to the local cotton industry. In 1864, the city was captured by Northern troops led by General William Tecumseh Sherman. After taking the city General Sherman offered the captured city and Port of Savannah to his Commander-in-Chief and telegraphed President Lincoln with the following message:
In the 1930s and 1940s many of the distinguished buildings in the historic district were demolished to create parking lots. Squares had been bisected by streets and fire lanes to speed traffic flow. The demolition of the 1870 City Market on Ellis Square and the attempted demolition of the 1821 Davenport House prompted seven Georgia women, led by Davenport descendant Lucy Barrow McIntire, to create the Historic Savannah Foundation, which was able to preserve the city from destruction. In 1979, the Savannah College of Art and Design was founded, and began a process of renovation and adaptive reuse of many notable downtown buildings, rather than building a centralized campus. This effort, along with the work of the Historic Savannah Foundation and other preservation groups, has contributed greatly to Savannah's now-famous rebirth. The city's popularity as a tourist destination was solidified by the best-selling book and subsequent movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which were set in Savannah. Also of note is the Pinkie Masters Bar which has been the site of presidential visits and political aspiration. Pinkie Masters (a local political figure) was a friend of President Jimmy Carter, who made several visits to the bar and the city. Additionally, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was born in nearby Pin Point, Georgia. The city's location offers visitors access to the coastal islands and the Savannah Riverfront, both popular tourist destinations. Tybee Island, formerly known as "Savannah Beach", is the site of the Tybee Island Light Station, the first lighthouse on the southern Atlantic coast. Other picturesque towns adjacent to Savannah include the shrimping village of Thunderbolt and two residential areas that began as summer resort communities for Savannahians: Beaulieu and Vernonburg. Crime and Other Urban TrendsSavannah today is a city with a high rate of violent crime. The mayor, Otis Johnson, has held three open fora on the issue. Murder rates have increased by 50% since 2004 and other types of crime, such as theft, have seen similar spikes. In 2003, Savannah and Chatham County merged their city and county police departments. Although advertised as a way to cut costs and improve efficiency, the merger has cost more than expected and has not avoided a 100-officer shortage that the department is trying to remedy. Despite the shortage of personnel, the consolidated department places great emphasis on revenue enhancement by devoting 76% of its vehicles to daytime traffic enforcement. According to the 2006 Georgia Department of Public Safety allocation census 12% of mobile resources are dedicated to patrolling within the top 3 violent crime precincts. While some see the police merger as a step toward city-county consolidation, Savannah is actually one of eight incorporated cities or towns in Chatham County. (The others are Bloomingdale, Garden City, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Thunderbolt, Tybee Island, and Vernonburg). Although these seven smaller localities would remain independent from a consolidated government, they have long opposed any efforts to adopt a city-county merger. One fear is that consolidation would reduce county funding to areas outside of Savannah. Efforts toward city-county consolidation are also opposed by some wealthier Chatham County communities, including The Landings on Skidaway Island, since these residents fear higher tax rates in a consolidated government. However, consolidation is favored by some city and county boosters, including Savannah's main newspaper, and merger plans have been presented to state legislators in the recent past. Should consolidation pass, Savannah would become Georgia's second-largest city, with a population of more than 205,000 (by state law, the almost 35,000 residents of the seven smaller incorporated towns remain independent; they are not included in a Savannah-Chatham consolidation plan). Research Tips
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